Pinky Amador

Pinky Amador has spoken out on the recent controversy surrounding Lea Salonga, her fellow theater performer. Salonga faced criticism for declining to take a photo with fans outside the dressing room.

"You know, you don't get to Lea's  level of excellence if you don't have discipline and follow rules meticulously. Also, Lea was a co-producer of the show so she had extra responsibility to keep things in order backstage," Pinky pointed out.

"Lea was totally in the right to ask that her boundaries be respected. That's why they have guest lists.  I commend her for handling the situation, and I am not sure I could have done any better," she added.

Pinky noted further: "It's unfortunate that people were more concerned about the dressing room incident, rather than  ponder on the historical and political significance of staging "Here Lies Love" at this particular time."

"It is an important musical about  the Marcos dictatorship. It is also the first musical on Broadway with an all-Filipino cast and produced mostly by Filipinos. Its significance should not be lost on us," she stated.

The two actresses share one thing in common, and that's being in the entertainment business for  four decades already.

"I  remember when Lea was around nine years old. My tita ( Zeneida Amador)  would ask her to sing on top of the party table.  They were doing  'Annie'  for Repertory Philippines at the time and Lea would sing 'Tomorrow' at will.  I thought it was amazing. Even then at such a tender age, she could command an audience," Pinky recalled.

Going back to the issue of privacy, Pinky shared the opinion that fans must be careful not to overstep boundaries, because artists are human too. "We all have a right to feel safe, even in the digital space."

As afternoon TV's premier contravida Moira Tanyag in the Kapuso medical drama "Abot Kamay Na Pangarap," , Pinky knows where she speaks. This happens when some fans can't anymore distinguish fiction from reality. Pinky has admitted to receiving insults and threats from strangers as a result of her role.

"Yung iba na medyo bastos or me namecalling na or slurs na, I  screenshot for proof. Minsan nirereport  ko or pinopost ko rin, tapos tina-tag ko sila. Minsan nag-sosorry sila or nagsasabing it's a joke," she revealed.

Pinky tries to be active on TikTok and other social media " so people can see na bugoy lang talaga ako." She also does not lose sight of the fact that as a popular figure, she has a responsibility to educate her followers and make her community a safe, respectful one."

In real life, Pinky considers herself a far cry from the vicious, maneuvering Moira. "I am bungisngis. I can't hold a grudge for a long time. Hindi ako pwedeng magalit ng matagal, hindi ko kaya. Kailangan natin peace and make up, tapos itulog natin yan. Kung hindi, di tayo gaganda."

(I can't be angry for a long time, I can't do that. We must have peace and make up after a fight, then sleep it over. Or else, we will not be beautiful.)

Offering her heart and soul into acting for 40 years, Pinky admitted that  she has a few regrets in life. One of them is not being able to have children. Her cat of 16 years also died last year, which made her grieve.

"I actually tried to have kids 10 years ago, pero hindi natuloy. But you know, it's not the end of the world. When I started becoming the department head for theater arts, when i was I already mentoring students, biglang ang dami kong anak When you get used to mentoring others, especially when they're young, you can't help but care for them. Doon ako medyo na-satisfy. I realized that I was already mothering in many ways," she remarked.

When not busy shooting  "Abot-Kamay.." Pinky stays active with her start-up company called Amador Creative Concepts. It is a mission-based agency which offers corporate, private, and educational workshops to both individuals and companies.

She is scheduled to be a resource speaker for the Likha Creative Summit on Sept. 21 and there are also talks for her to star in a play abroad next summer.

Pinky believes in always paying it forward. " As long as you can guide someone to be the better version of themselves, that's a lot."